Building on its history as a hub for curatorial ideas, ICI is supporting a new generation of curators to develop exhibition proposals.

The Curatorial Intensive is a short-term, low-cost program taking place this June in New York for emerging curators across North America. From an open competition, 6-10 individuals will be selected to come to New York and work with some of today’s leading curators and artists. Through a rigorous schedule of workshops, discussions and critiques, as well as site visits to local institutions and artist’s studios, each participant will be led through the process of developing an idea for an exhibition into a full exhibition proposal.

After the New York phase of the project is complete, ICI will continue working with participants long- distance to finalize their proposals. The Curatorial Intensive has been organized in partnership with the Cue Art Foundation, who will provide their virtual gallery as a platform for participants to publish their proposals online so that broad publics, as well as the hundreds of institutions with which ICI works, can view the final proposals. ICI is uniquely positioned to establish The Curatorial Intensive, having worked with a wide range of curators to develop innovative traveling exhibitions. In 35 years ICI has organized 116 shows, whichhave been presented in 570 institutions in 47 states and 23 countries worldwide, and experienced by nearly 6 million people.

The Curatorial Intensive was developed by ICI’s Executive Director, Kate Fowle, who recently joined ICI after working as the International Curator at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing.Prior to her time in China, Fowle spent 6 years in San Francisco at the California College of the Arts, where she was the director of the MA Program in Curatorial Practice, which she founded in 2002with Ralph Rugoff.

The Curatorial Intensive has been generously supported in part by the ICI Patrons, Partners and Benefactors, and The Dedalus Foundation.

Application Guidelines: Applications must include a 300-word description of an exhibition idea the applicant would like help in developing. Submissions should include an exhibition concept or keyidea, and any artists that the applicant is considering. Also required is a current resume, plus a short letter of intent that outlines why applicants want to participate in The Curatorial Intensive, as well as an example of a recent exhibition that has made an impact on the applicants.

Application Deadline: March 12, 2010

Fees and Scholarships: The program fee is $1,500. Participants will be responsible for covering travel and accomodation expenses. In its commitment to make The Curatorial Intensive accessible to individuals from diverse economic backgrounds, ICI will offer generous scholarship packages, subsidizing or eliminating program fees and travel expenses of several program participants. Visit our website for further details.

ICI (Independent Curators International) produces exhibitions, events, publications, and training opportunities for diverse audiences around the world. A catalyst for independent thinking, ICI connects emerging and established curators, artists, and institutions, to forge international networksand generate new forms of collaboration. Working across disciplines and historical precedents, the organization is a hub that provides access to the people, ideas, and practices that are key to current developments in the field, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art.